Interest Groups
voluntary associations of people who come together with the goal of getting the policies that they favor enacted
What are interest groups?
sources of information designed to reach a wide audience, including newspapers, radio, television, and Internet outlets
What is mass media?
voting based on what a citizen believes is in his or her best interest
What is rational choice voting?
to influence public policy by getting candidates elected for political/public office
What is the main goal of political parties?
a public demonstration designed to call attention to the need for change
What is a protest?
the three sides of the iron triangle
the media’s ability to highlight certain issues and bring them to the attention of the public
What is agenda setting?
an election in which a state’s voters choose delegates who support a presidential candidate for nomination or an election by a plurality vote to select a party’s nominee for a seat in Congress
What is a primary?
the winner-take-all system makes these groups struggle to win elections
What are third parties?
intentionally breaking a law to call attention to an injustice
What is civil disobedience?
individuals who enjoy collective goods and benefit from the actions of an interest group without joining
What are free riders?
an approach to newsgathering in which reporters dig into stories, often looking for instances of wrongdoing
What is investigative journalism?
the amendment that gave citizens 18 years or older the right to vote
What is the 26th Amendment to the Constitution?
a system in which two political parties dominate politics, winning almost all elections
What is a two-party system?
this controversial required court case that decided separate but equal public schools on the basis of race are unequal
What is Brown v. Board of Education?
the process of mobilizing interest group members to pressure their representatives by contacting them directly through phone calls, email, and social media
What is grassroots lobbying?
this landmark court case ruled that the government couldn't censor private news publication
What is New York Times Company v. United States?
the current system can allow for the candidate who receives less votes to win
Why do people say the Electoral College is undemocratic?
a set of positions and policy objectives that members of a political party agree to
What is a party platform?
the foundational document that represents the first formal statement by a nation's people asserting their right to choose their own government
What is the Declaration of Independence?
the foundational document that argued that a large republic will help control factions because a greater number of elected representative will lead to a greater number of opinions
What is Federalist No. 10?
"Hillary Clinton is up 4% on Donald Trump in the polls."
What is an example of horse-race journalism?
the required court case decided that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections can't be limited
What is Citizen's United v. Federal Election Commission?
a brief filed by someone who is not a party to a case in an attempt to persuade the Court to agree with the arguments set forth in the brief
What is an amicus curiae brief?
the foundational document that said that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws and take direction action
What is the Letter from a Birmingham Jail?